


Office Romances

by gaysadandtired



Series: NCT + WayV Collection [13]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Crushes, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Making Out, Requited Love, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:49:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25715326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaysadandtired/pseuds/gaysadandtired
Summary: Dejun is against office romances, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want Guanheng to be his.
Relationships: Wong Kun Hang | Hendery/Xiao De Jun | Xiao Jun
Series: NCT + WayV Collection [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1639213
Comments: 7
Kudos: 170





	Office Romances

Dejun scanned through the pile of brown folders on his desk, sighing at the ever-growing tower. He was gone no more than five minutes to get a coffee and now he found himself with at least three more reports to read through. Those were the joys of his job; he knew a managerial role would mean more mean a greater workload, but he still hoped for at least one moment of peace. 

That seemed impossible for him, especially in the finance department. You wouldn’t think that it would be such a mess, but Dejun was proven wrong every single day. 

“And another one for you,” Ten said happily, placing yet another folder onto Dejun’s pile. 

Dejun wanted nothing more than to throw the paper back at Ten’s smug face but he knew he’d have to clean up the mess. He simply accepted his fate with a reluctant nod. 

“Well someone looks extra lively today,” Ten pointed out, laughing when Dejun grumbled. “You know... I think I know what could make your day better.” 

“You wanna go through these for me? Thanks, Ten! You’re an angel-” 

“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,” Ten interrupted. 

Dejun exhaled through his nose. He should’ve guessed Ten wouldn’t do anything for him. 

“What is it then?” 

“I think you need to see your boyfriend,” Ten replied, wiggling his brows at Dejun. 

“Boyfriend?” 

“Yeah! The cutie from marketing, you know which one I mean.” 

Of course he knew who Ten was talking about, which is exactly why he groaned and hid his face behind his hands. “He’s not my boyfriend,” he murmured. 

“He might as well be! Every time I see you two it’s like I’m looking at an old married couple,” Ten pointed out. “And don’t act like you don’t undress each other with your dirty little eyes, I see everything!” 

“We’re just friends,” Dejun reminded Ten. Sure, he had a tiny, itty-bitty crush on Guanheng, but he wasn’t going to act on it – not when they worked in the same building. Office romances never work out without some sort of drama, and Dejun was not interested in getting himself involved in any of that. 

“Yeah and I’m the queen of England,” Ten quipped, rolling his eyes at Dejun’s pathetic response. “I have something that needs handing over to the marketing department,” he continued. “It’s up to you.” 

“What’s in it for me?” 

“Other than seeing your boyfriend?” 

“Not my boyfriend,” Dejun corrected, glaring at Ten. 

“Right, your _not_ boyfriend. I can help out with a few of these,” Ten said, pointing to the stack he himself contributed to. “So, deal?” 

That was a no brainer. 

Dejun nodded. “What do I need to take down?” 

“It’s on my desk, has marketing in big bold letters. Can’t miss it.” 

And so, Dejun found himself doing Ten’s job, blindly believing that Ten was also keeping his end of the promise. If not, then Dejun would make Ten pay one way or another. After all, he had the power to make Ten’s job absolute hell if he wanted to. Though, with Ten’s endless complaining, Dejun would much rather avoid displeasing Ten. 

The marketing department was two floors beneath finance. The offices were practically the same no matter where in the company you were, though the marketing office stood out amongst everything else. Maybe it was the organised chaos, the multitude of motivational cat and dog posters, or maybe the fact that there were people pushing each other on their desk chairs across the office space. 

That definitely was a sight you’d only experience in marketing. 

Who would have guessed that the one currently being pushed was none other than Guanheng? 

Dejun stood by the first desk, careful to not get ran over by the speeding desk chair. Luckily it stopped right before him, and when it did, Guanheng looked up at Dejun with a bright smile, his eyes wide as he realised that it was Dejun. 

The finance manager tried to keep a straight, serious face; however, he couldn’t hold it for long when Guanheng was looking up at him like that. He looked down at his shoes trying his hardest to hide his own grin. Guanheng’s smile was contagious – Dejun learned that early on into their friendship. One look and Dejun either mirrored Guanheng’s smile, or he ended up blushing like a fool. 

Blushing was the last thing he wanted right now. 

“Dejun!” Guanheng exclaimed, promptly standing up from his desk chair. “What brings you here?” 

“I brought this,” the man in question explained, handing over the file Ten meant to bring. “From Ten.” 

Guanheng read the heading and nodded. “I’ll pass that on, thanks Jun.” 

“Just doing my job,” Dejun said, holding his hands together at his front. “Well, I should probably get going.” 

“So soon?” Guanheng asked, his brows furrowing in displeasure. 

Dejun chuckled. “My department needs me.” 

“Of course, mister manager,” Guanheng said, his tone playful but not teasing. “How’s that going then? It’s been a month already, right?” 

Dejun nodded. He was promoted to his managerial role no more than a month ago after changing departments a few months prior. He had a small gathering with his friends, and of course, Guanheng was invited. Nothing revolutionary happened at the party, though that was the main catalyst for Ten’s teasing. Just because Dejun and Guanheng were close and somewhat clingy towards each other didn’t mean their relationship was anything more than close work friends that may have similar feelings towards each other but are both too big of scaredy-cats to do anything about said feelings. 

“It’s good. A bigger workload, but good,” Dejun replied honestly. “Though I drink more coffee than usual and I’m either shaking with energy or on the brink of falling asleep. It’s a fifty-fifty really.” 

“You’ll get used to the caffeine rush soon,” Guanheng assured with a faint chuckle. 

“Hopefully. But yeah, I better get going.” 

“How about a quick ride before that?” 

“A ride?” 

Guanheng nodded, pointing to his desk chair. 

“Oh no...” 

“Oh come on! Just one,” Guanheng pleaded, grabbing onto Dejun’s wrist. “I’ll be gentle if you want.” 

Dejun sucked in his bottom lip. It’s best his mind stops going into any unsafe territories. Thoughts like that weren’t appropriate for the office, especially when there were still a good four hours left of his work day. He’s learned that it’s best to leave his wild imagination for after work hours the hard way. 

Dejun didn’t have a chance to respond before Guanheng tugged on his hands, pulling the man down and sitting him down in his spinning chair. 

“Hold on!” Guanheng advised seconds before he started running, pushing Dejun forward. 

It was a decent thrill and for a second Dejun even forgot about the stack of paperwork left on his desk. He let himself laugh and enjoy the short moment with Guanheng, even if it was one of the weirdest things he has ever done within the perimeters of his job. 

Guanheng lied when he said he’d only push Dejun around once; the fact of the matter was that he ended pushing Dejun back and forth across the office floor a good six or so times. It was enjoyable at first but slowly Dejun began growing dizzy, practically begging Guanheng to stop before he actually ended up being sick on the carpeted floor. 

Thankfully Guanheng listened, or else the janitors would have a terrible day trying to clean up after Dejun. 

“That was fun, right?” 

Hair a mess, cheeks red and his tie and blazer skewed to the side, Dejun only nodded. 

“I expect the same fun when I go up to your department.” 

“I can’t promise anything,” Dejun stated, straightening his striped tie out. He did the best he could without a mirror but it probably wasn’t working out for him since Guanheng decided to help him out. 

Guanheng stepped closer to Dejun, reaching out for the lapels of his blazer, fixing and smoothening them down. Dejun kept his hands to himself, though he was tempted to place his hands either on Guanheng’s hips or his shoulders, especially when the man decided to fix his air tousled hair. It would be so easy to do, but also so inappropriate considering their current setting. 

The few pairs of eyes looking in their direction also didn’t help the matter. 

“There you go,” Guanheng uttered softly after he was done. “All better.” 

“Thanks.” 

“So, I’ll see you around,” Guanheng said, a soft smile spreading across his handsome face. 

Dejun nodded and the men parted ways. 

It didn’t take much time before Dejun was sitting back in his seat. When he arrived, he was pleased to see that Ten kept his end of the deal; Ten had taken a few of the folders from Dejun’s desk and was currently skimming through the papers. 

The instant Ten caught a glimpse of Dejun, the man sprung up from his seat and rushed over to Dejun’s desk. He placed his palms flat on the cold surface, leaning his body forward. He was grinning, his eyes flooding with mischief that made it clear that he was about to a: say something absurd that would surely make Dejun groan, b: do something reckless or c: a combination of the two. 

Dejun hoped it wasn’t option c. Anything but c. 

“You look like you had a blast,” Ten said, taking note of Dejun’s somewhat dishevelled appearance. Even with Guanheng’s help Dejun couldn’t rid himself of the blush on his cheeks. “Say, you didn’t by any chance have a quickie in the off- ow! Ow, stop!” 

Ten’s bullshit was interrupted by Dejun throwing some of his pens, tape and even a stapler at Ten. He didn’t want to listen. 

He didn’t want his mind going anywhere it shouldn’t be. 

“Back to work!” 

Ten laughed but did as told. 

*** 

“Which coffee of the day is this?” Guanheng asked, walking into the staff room with his lips curved up slightly. He sauntered over to Dejun, leaning himself against one of the counters. 

“Third,” Dejun replied, his eyes fixated on the black coffee slowly filling up his mug. The green dinosaur at the side was slowly fading, though Dejun still loved it dearly. After all, it was a birthday gift from Guanheng. 

The younger man chuckled. “One of those day, huh?” 

“Tell me about it,” Dejun replied, sighing to himself. “I barely slept today.” 

“How come?” 

“The neighbours were having a party until sunrise,” he replied. 

“Yikes, that’s rough.” 

Really rough. Not only did Dejun have a bad day at work, but he also couldn’t even relax after he got home. Fate was truly cruel to him. But he was already looking for other places to move, so hopefully after a few more secure paychecks he will finally move out. 

“Why are you here?” Dejun asked. He didn’t mean for it to sound rude, but in his current state he couldn’t fully process his words so he just hoped that Guanheng didn’t take it the wrong way. 

“Why are any of us here?” Guanheng replied, laughing afterwards. “Nah, if I’m being honest it’s because there’s way too many people in our staff room,” he explained. “I just wanted a coffee but apparently everybody else wanted to get one at the exact same time. But oh well, at least I ran into you.” 

Dejun smiled. Guanheng’s presence was greatly appreciated right now, even if it wasn’t much. 

“Want me to make you one?” 

“If you don’t mind,” Guanheng replied, placing down a mug on the counter next to Dejun. “Brought my own. You know that someone keeps stealing mugs in marketing? My bet’s on Yangyang but I’m also suspicious of Jaehyun. He seems like the type of person to steal mugs.” 

“I’d say he steals pens, not mugs,” Dejun said. “Though who knows what he’s into. Any other suspicions?” 

“At first I thought it was Yukhei,” Guanheng admitted as Dejun started making a coffee for him, putting his to the side once his mug was filled. “He seemed a bit fishy when they started disappearing, but after keeping an eye out I can say that it’s not him. Apart from Yang and Jae, it might also be Jisung.” 

“Not Chenle?” 

“You see, I thought that too, but he barely even goes into the staff room,” Guanheng stated. “Unless they’re in cahoots with each other.” 

“Honestly wouldn’t surprise me. Have you seen how they-” Dejun stuttered, body tensing up when he felt Guanheng stand behind him, his hand resting on Dejun’s waist. The man was only looking over Dejun’s shoulder, watching as his coffee was slowly being made, but Dejun couldn’t help the way his body reacted at their closeness. 

Physical contact between the two wasn’t uncommon, but that was when they were outside work. It was okay when they weren’t at work where anyone could see. It was okay because Dejun could momentarily forget that they were co-workers, allowing himself to indulge in the feeling and idea of being something more than friends with the younger man. 

This was the first time either of them crossed an unspoken line, and though Dejun knew he shouldn’t entertain himself with what was happening, he wanted nothing more than for Guanheng to stay like that. 

“How they what?” Guanheng asked, voice lowered with his lips so close to Dejun’s ear. 

“What?” Dejun asked. He was flustered, completely unaware that he zoned out. 

Guanheng chuckled, the hold he had on Dejun tightening the faintest amount. “You just stopped in the middle of the sentence. You good?” 

“Yup, I’m all good. Absolutely peachy,” Dejun replied. He could feel his face burn up, suddenly hyperaware of even the slightest movement from Guanheng’s side. To prevent himself from saying anything else and further making a fool of himself, Dejun picked up his mug, drinking the piping hot coffee just like that. He didn’t bother adding any sugar and even though it tasted horrendous, he persevered. 

The younger man found Dejun amusing, leaning in even closer to Dejun, wrapping his arm securely around Dejun, his other hand also snaking around the front. 

Dejun acted like he wasn’t affected at all, drinking his coffee with absolutely no reactions. However, if anyone saw his face right now then they’d know exactly just how strong of an effect Guanheng had on him. His face was probably red by now, and if he had to guess then the tips of his ears would also match his face. 

But it was what Guanheng did next that turned Dejun into an utter mess. 

Guanheng brought his face closer, leaning over Dejun’s shoulder, his lips barely missing Dejun’s burning skin. 

“Guanheng,” Dejun muttered, his tone cautionary but also flustered – yearning even. 

“Dejun,” the younger retorted, his voice void of the same warning present with Dejun. 

“We- we shouldn’t,” Dejun uttered, carefully putting down his coffee with shaky hands. 

“Why? I like you, and I know you like me too. So what’s the problem?” 

Dejun couldn’t process what was just said by the man holding him tightly. He thought he heard wrong, but that wasn’t possible. He wasn’t dreaming. 

“You like me?” 

Guanheng blinked, dumbfounded by Dejun’s surprised question. “Are you being serious right now? Of course I like you,” he replied. “I’ve liked you for a while now; why do you think I take every chance to be close to you? It’s because I like you. I wanted to tell you so many times but... you act like you don’t want to hear me say it.” 

Dejun gulped, biting down on the inside of his cheek. “It’s- we shouldn’t.” 

“Why?” Guanheng asked, turning Dejun around so that their eyes met. “Is it because of work?” 

The older reluctantly nodded. 

Guanheng clicked his tongue. “That does make sense, I guess. But we don’t work in the same department anymore,” he pointed out. “We’re not even on the same floor. That wouldn’t make things weird. I get that you might have been against it when you were still in marketing, but you’re not. We can- we can try, can’t we?” 

The man made a point Things weren’t the same anymore, so would there be any real harm in trying? 

Dejun prayed that there wasn’t. 

“Can’t we?” Guanheng repeated, awaiting a response from Dejun. 

Guanheng’s answer came in the form of a touch; Dejun reached up to cup the man’s cheek, softly stroking his thumb across the smooth, delicate skin. At that, Guanheng beamed, taking a small step closer, closing the distance between their bodies. 

Even with his back pressed to the edge of the counter, Dejun couldn’t complain. How could he possibly complain when Guanheng’s arms were locked around his lithe waist, holding them closely together with their faces millimetres apart. 

All that was missing was a kiss. 

“That’s a yes, right?” Guanheng asked. 

Dejun chuckled softly, cupping the man’s jaw. “It’s a yes from me.” 

“Just making sure,” Guanheng said before finally locking their lips together. 

Dejun liquified in Guanheng’s hold, the delicate kiss barely satiating the pent-up wanton for Guanheng. A solid two years of hopeless pining has finally come to this, and now that Dejun finally had a taste, he didn’t know how to act. He wanted so much more all at once so that he could calm the fire burning inside of him, but he knew he couldn’t. Not now at least. 

Guanheng was also getting lost in the kiss which really didn’t help Dejun. The older man knew that he should put a stop to this before things got too out of hand, but he could only add more fuel to the fire; he kept pulling Guanheng closer, allowing the younger to slip his eager tongue into his mouth, crooning into the kiss to propel things forward. 

It was reckless, stupid and the complete opposite to everything Dejun tried to be at work, but that didn’t stop him. If anything, it excited him even more. 

Dejun didn’t think anything of it when Guanheng trailed his hand down from his waist to his thigh, tapping on the muscle with his two fingers and helping Dejun lift it up. He didn’t think anything of it when he hooked his legs around Guanheng or when he started leaning down on the counter, eyes fluttering shut as Guanheng trailed his lips down to Dejun’s jaw and then down again, kissing at his throat. 

Everything happened way too quickly but also not fast enough. 

Dejun was practically laying on the counter with Guanheng between his legs, his skin adorned with hungry kisses, when the doors to the staff room swung open. The sense of dread flooded Dejun’s system in an instant. 

This was not what anyone expected to see when going in to grab a drink or take a short break. 

“What was that about not having a boyfriend?” Ten asked. Though Dejun wasn’t proud of being caught like this, he was thankful that the intruder was just Ten. It spared him much awkwardness. 

The two men pulled away, but not completely; Guanheng still kept one arm hooked around Dejun’s waist, not wanting to let the man go just yet. Dejun didn’t mind that at all. 

“I umm- I- I...” 

“Spare me the details,” Ten said, walking over to the fridge. He opened it and pulled out bottle, grabbing his drink without much care of what was happening. “I’m happy for you and all that, though I do have one thing to say.” 

“And what is it?” Dejun asked, finding his voice again. 

Ten walked to the door, opening them slightly, one foot already out. “Get a room.” With that, Ten was out. 

Dejun let out a shaky exhale. That could have gone much worse if someone else stepped inside. 

On the other hand, Guanheng found their situation humours. He laughed, even when Dejun frowned. 

“That could have ended in a disaster,” Dejun said. 

“But it didn’t,” the younger pointed out. “Besides, what’s fun about office romances if not the thrill?” 

The older scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. “You’re ridiculous.” 

“I know I am, but you like me so it’s all good.” 

Dejun couldn’t refute that. 

“Well, how about we continue this after work?” Guanheng suggested. “My place. We could order take out, watch a movie. How does that sound?” 

“Sounds perfect,” Dejun replied. 

“In that case, I’ll wait for you at the end of the day. Come by marketing when you’re done.” 

“Will do,” Dejun promised, smiling fondly. He honestly didn’t expect his day to go from absolutely shit to utterly amazing. Guanheng really was something else. 

Guanheng returned the smile, stealing a brief kiss from Dejun before he reached over to grab his coffee which was now done. 

“I’ll see you at five then.” 

“See you,” Dejun said, waving as Guanheng walked out of the staff room. 

Not a bad day. Not bad at all. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was written in one sitting after I saw an artwork. I've been wanting to write office xiaodery for a while so this was a good excuse for me. Not the best so I might end up writing something else another day. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> My [ Twitter ](https://twitter.com/teniljohnyong)  
> My [ CuriousCat](https://curiouscat.me/yoongaygl)  
> The artwork in question [ here ](https://twitter.com/pasteldery/status/1290661787700989954)
> 
> Thanks for reading! Love y'all!


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